Belmont Stakes Countdown–May 25, 2015

A sloppy track didn’t stop American Pharoah from winning the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), and it certainly didn’t stop him this morning when the Triple Crown hopeful went out and galloped ten furlongs over a sloppy track at Churchill Downs.

According to the Churchill Downs Barn Notes for May 25th, Bob Baffert’s assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes was happy with American Pharoah’s gallop: “He went very nice and looked good,” Barnes said. “He likes an off track. Everything seems fine.”

Bob Baffert is expected to arrive at Churchill Downs tomorrow morning to check in on American Pharoah and determine when the colt will breeze prior to the Belmont Stakes. It’s possible that American Pharoah will post two timed workouts before the Belmont, with the first coming as early as tomorrow morning.

A video of American Pharoah’s morning gallop has been posted on YouTube by Churchill Downs and can be viewed below:

In other Belmont Stakes news, Mubtaahij breezed five furlongs in 1:03.16 yesterday morning at Belmont Park, going in company with his stablemate Umgiyo, who was timed in 1:04.12. The work was the third for Mubtaahij in the span of eight days, an impressive stretch of work that suggests Mubtaahij is doing well as the Belmont Stakes approaches. The time may not have been very fast, but it’s important to note that a clocker for the Daily Racing Form caught Mubtaahij’s workout in a time that was more than a second faster than the official time.

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With thirteen days remaining until the Belmont Stakes, here is the current list of expected starters:

Horse	Jockey	Trainer
American Pharoah	Victor Espinoza	Bob Baffert
Carpe Diem	Unknown	Todd Pletcher
Conquest Curlinate	Shaun Bridgmohan	Mark Casse
Frammento	Mike Smith	Nick Zito
Frosted	Joel Rosario	Kiaran McLaughlin
Keen Ice	Kent Desormeaux	Dale Romans
Madefromlucky	Unknown	Todd Pletcher
Materiality	Unknown	Todd Pletcher
Mubtaahij	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	Mike de Kock
Tale of Verve	Gary Stevens	Dallas Stewart
War Story	Colby Hernandez	Tom Amoss

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